Vamana Purana — Prahlada's Instructions to Bali, Shloka 27

Prahlada’s Instructions to Bali on Vishnu Worship, Monthly Gifts, and Building Hari’s Temple

Devanagari script

उदकुम्भाम्बुधेनुं च तालवृन्तं सुचन्दनम् त्रिविक्रमस्य प्रीत्यर्थं दातव्यं साधुभिः सदा

Transliteration

udakumbhāmbudhenuṃ ca tālavṛntaṃ sucandanam trivikramasya prītyarthaṃ dātavyaṃ sādhubhiḥ sadā

Translation

జలకుంభము, అంబుధేనువు (జలదాన పాత్రము), తాళవృంతము (తాళపత్ర పంకా) మరియు శ్రేష్ఠ చందనము—త్రివిక్రముని ప్రీతికై సద్గుణులు సదా దానమివ్వవలెను।

Speakers

• Unspecified in the provided excerpt (within the chapter’s prescriptive discourse on dāna); likely a narrator/ṛṣi instructing the listener.

Primary Deities

• Vishnu (Trivikrama)

Key Themes

• Dana (charity) as devotional offering
• Cooling/auspicious gifts (water, fan, sandalwood) as religious merit
• Bhakti expressed through prescribed upahāras
• Vishnu’s avatāra-veneration (Trivikrama)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "shanta", "secondaryRasa": "adbhuta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Why are water, fan, and sandalwood singled out as gifts for Trivikrama?

These are ‘cooling’ and life-sustaining offerings: water preserves life, the fan relieves heat, and sandalwood is cooling and auspicious. In Purāṇic dāna-lists, such items symbolize compassion and public benefit, making them fitting for pleasing Viṣṇu in a cosmic form like Trivikrama.

What does ambudhenu mean here in practical terms?

In dāna vocabulary, ambudhenu is a conventional term for a water-supplying charitable gift—often a dedicated vessel/arrangement for providing water (especially to travelers/ascetics). Some traditions also treat it as a symbolic ‘cow’ made/represented through a water-pot and related items, emphasizing abundance like the wish-fulfilling cow.

Does this verse contain any tīrtha-geography data typical of the Vāmana Purāṇa?

Not directly. This verse is primarily prescriptive (dharma/dāna). Any geographical context would come from surrounding passages in the chapter, not from the verse itself.